FDI: Women Hung Spread-eagle from Ceiling, Sexually Assaulted with Sticks in Attempt to Meet "Transformation" Quota

NEWS -- Oct. 22, 2003 Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net

NEW YORK (FDI) -- Under orders from police, women detainees at the Dalian Reeducation Camp are hung spread-eagle from the ceiling as sticks and pepper oil are shoved into their vaginas -- a torture technique known as "hip-splitting."

In order to meet the government's required quota for the number of "transformed" Falun Gong practitioners, labor camps throughout China are under orders from the "6-10 Office" (about) to extract signed "repentance statements" from Falun Gong practitioners in which they renounce their belief in the practice. The daily techniques used at the Dalian Reeducation Camp to meet this quota range from "reeducation" videos denigrating Falun Gong played around-the-clock to sleep deprivation, freezing, burning, electric shock torture, force feeding torture and sexual assault.

Still, the directors at the Women's Brigade of the Dalian Reeducation Camp reportedly have exhausted their repertoire of techniques, while many of the Falun Gong practitioners refuse to renounce their practice.

The following is an eye-witness account of one woman who was detained at the Dalian Camp...

Practitioners are typically first detained for writing an appeal letter to the "Office of Appeals," raising a banner that reads, "Falun Gong is good," or passing out flyers that expose the persecution of Falun Gong. Many are then sent without trial to "reeducation through labor" camps, such as the Dalian Reeducation Camp.

In their first days of detainment, Falun Gong practitioners are surrounded with posters, loudspeakers and televisions programs demonizing Falun Gong. Anyone attempting to practice the Falun Gong exercises or study Falun Gong books is subjected to severe beatings and electric shock torture.

Newly abducted practitioners are first detained and tortured in the criminal inmate section. From there they are forced to recite the camp rules and regulations. Any who refuse to cooperate are locked up and tortured in solitary confinement cells, followed by further brainwashing sessions.

And for those who continue to resist, the torture escalates.

In early 2002, with no other means to protest, a large group of practitioners in the labor camp began a hunger strike. The guards then forced criminal inmates to administer the "hip-splitting" torture in which inmates molested the female practitioners with sticks and hot pepper oil.

Under orders from the camp directors and pressure lest they be tortured themselves, the inmates also poured boiling water over the practitioners' bodies. They then forced the practitioners to stand awake all night.

The nights were cold, and the practitioners in Dalian, a city in northeastern China, were often made to stand barefoot with the windows open in the middle of winter.

If torture, sleep deprivation, and freezing temperatures did not break the practitioners' will, hard plastic tubes would be forcefully inserted up their nasal channels and down into their stomachs to administer forced-feeding torture (about).

Those who could no longer stand on their own were handcuffed and left hanging from bedposts.

All practitioners were forced to squat with both hands wrapped around their legs for 24 hours at a time. The slightest twitch would prompt a round of electric shocks from the batons of the guards.

The guards shouted that those who would not give up their beliefs would be subjected to many more hours of forced squatting.

Even the director of the Women's Brigade at the Dalian Reeducation Camp and several brigade leaders all personally tortured the practitioners.

A labor camp director named Zhang once told the practitioners: "You talk about evil? I am evil."

Still, many Falun Gong practitioners detained at Dalian, such as Ms. Wang Lijun, Ms. Sun Yan and Ms. Man Chunrong did not yield. The inmates thought no one could endure the sexual torture and would give up. Yet, witnessing Ms. Wang's unwavering determination, the inmates finally stopped using the "hip-splitting" torture on her.

Tortured in solitary confinement once again in 2003, Ms. Wang suffered severe injury to her feet. She has had great difficulty moving around since.

Still, Ms. Wang refused to renounce her belief. This enrages many Camp officials because their bonuses and promotions are directly linked to meeting the "transformation" quota.

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NEWS -- Oct. 22, 2003

Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's then-Communist leader, Jiang Zemin, outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it. To that end, Jiang established the "6-10 Office," a Gestapo-like agency spanning from the Central Government to the local governments. The United States Congress has described the "6-10 Office" as an agency charged with "overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder." (news)

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 803 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. In October 2001, however, Government officials inside China reported that the actual death toll was well over 1,600. Expert sources now estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps, typically without trial.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER -- Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Levi Browde 914-720-0963, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Christina Chai 917-386-5068. Email: [e-mail], Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/